The Baltimore Board of Estimates voted unanimously Thursday morning to approve the consent decree agreement for the Baltimore Police Department. Afterward, Attorney General Loretta Lynch, Mayor Catherine Pugh and other city and federal officials talked about the agreement that seeks to overhaul Baltimore policing and its oversight.

The 227-page document, filed in U.S. District Court Thursday, requires the city to establish an oversight task force to recommend reforms to civilian oversight and requires a number of changes to police practices to, Lynch said, ultimately make police better at doing their jobs.

"The reforms in this consent decree will help ensure effective and constitutional policing, restore the community’s trust in law enforcement, and advance public and officer safety," Lynch said. "We could not be prouder to partner with the people of Baltimore on this journey towards making their city a community that protects the dignity, rights, and safety of all its people.”

Under Lynch, the Justice Department has pursued similar investigations and agreements with cities including Ferguson, Missouri; Newark, N.J.; Albuquerque, N.M.; and Cleveland, Ohio. For comparison, Baltimore's consent decree is nearly twice the length of that for Ferguson, where the Justice Department conducted a pattern or practice investigation following the 2014 shooting of Michael Brown.

The agreement will be enforced by an independent monitor ultimately appointed by a federal judge. A hearing will allow for public comment on the agreement before it's approved in court.

The cost to implement the decree isn't yet known. Pugh said the city received a $1 million gift from the Ford Foundation to assist in reforms.

The filing of the agreement, in the waning days of Lynch's tenure, is meant as a capstone for an administration that has made civil rights enforcement a key priority and that has pursued similar consent decrees with other large American police forces.

The agreement is intended to be remain in place long after Lynch leaves office, though civil liberties advocates are concerned that Sen. Jeff Sessions, the Alabama Republican who's been nominated to replace her, may not look to enforce consent decrees with the same vigor.

The Justice Department began investigating the Baltimore force following the April 2015 death of a young black man who was fatally injured while in the custody of officers. Its report last August found that officers were routinely stopping large numbers of people in poor, black neighborhoods for dubious reasons, and unlawfully arresting residents merely for speaking out in ways police deemed disrespectful.

Vanita Gupta, head of Lynch's civil rights division, spoke on behalf of the Justice Department in August in announcing the report's findings. On Thursday, she commended Baltimore for the work already done on procedures like de-escalation and community policing.

"This has been a real and engaging partnership, with all parties bringing their ideas to the table," Gupta said.

State's Attorney Marilyn Mosby said the decree was a "step in the right direction."

"The vast majority of Baltimore City Police officers are good officers that risk their lives serving the citizens of this city each and every day and I’m encouraged by today’s comprehensive plan toward assuring best policing practices for a healthy community-law-enforcement relationship going forward," she said in a statement.

The Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 3 was not involved in negotiations on the consent decree, according to a statement from the Baltimore police union.

A source familiar with the agreement said prior to the announcement that some may see its mandates as incremental, but added they will help change police culture.

At a Wednesday morning event in Waverly, Mayor Catherine Pugh illustrated the imminent signing of the consent decree for the Baltimore Police Department by holding her fingers closely together and saying: "We're that -- Can you see though there? -- We're that close."

Later, notice came of a special meeting of the Board of Estimates to sign off on the agreement, followed by a news conference with the mayor and U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch.

A City Hall aide said there's nothing in the consent decree to expect that's far-reaching. Instead, he called its mandates standard.

Baltimore police already are deploying body cameras and have increased training. The consent decree will likely require better tracking of problem officers, more documentation of citizen interaction and use of force reporting.